Not This Time (24 page)

“In the hallway,” Beth said from between her teeth. “Right now, please.” She ushered him past Jeff and into the hall.

“Ms. Dawson—,” he began.

“Don’t you
Ms. Dawson
me. You come here knowing Sara is half crazy with worry and suggest her missing husband could be hooked into some other case you won’t discuss, and you honestly expect cooperation? She’s just been released from the hospital. Did you see her pull out that inhaler?”

“I did see it. That’s why I was trying not to add to her distress.” Boudin’s neck and face flushed. “I didn’t withhold information to be cruel; I was trying to protect her.”

Beth didn’t believe it. From Jeff’s stony expression, he was still on the fence.

Boudin lifted an arm. “Until I ask the questions, I can’t know if Mr. Tayton is involved in my case. If he is, and Mrs. Tayton can take hearing the truth without injury, I’ll tell her what she needs to know. If he’s not involved, then I’ll be sorry I wasted her time and mine and be glad I spared her from hearing unpleasant things that weren’t relevant.” His gaze turned intense, riddled with a warning. “Believe me, Ms. Dawson, you do not want Mr. Tayton to be involved in my case, and unless I must, you definitely do not want me to tell his wife about it.”

That set Beth back on her heels. Fear swirled with curiosity. Beth believed him. Worse, if Boudin’s case was bad, no matter what it was about, she could imagine Robert involved up to his slimy eyeballs in it. Still, she couldn’t permit a fishing expedition that negatively impacted Sara. The lack of news had her brittle. This was no time to risk something unrelated making her snap.
“Sara’s medical issues are complicated. She hasn’t sufficiently recovered to survive another attack.”

“I’m sorry.” He paused a thoughtful moment.

His sincerity stopped Beth cold. Sara’s attack and hospitalization had remained out of the press for fear the kidnappers would use it to sensationalize the case. “No, I’m sorry, Mr. Boudin. I overreacted. You couldn’t have known about Sara’s medical condition.”

Jeff looked shocked that Beth took responsibility for her mistake.
Why?

“I understand.” Boudin seemed to mean it. “You’re trying to protect her.”

Beth let him see the truth in her eyes and noted something oddly familiar in his. “I am worried.” Terrified would be more honest. “About her and what else this could cause to happen.”

“Understandable. I read the report about the attack at the country club.”

There was something about him. Something … known. SaBe maybe? Or one of her trips to Quantico? Where? “Do you really think Robert might be connected to your case?”

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.” Boudin pulled a mint from his pocket, offered one to Beth.

The scent struck a chord and a chill crept up her back.
The terrace messenger
. “Um, no. Thank you.” She searched her memory. She didn’t know his face, but she knew that scent and she knew those eyes. Yet if Thomas Boudin had been at the fund-raiser, she definitely would have noticed and remembered him.

“For Mrs. Tayton’s sake, I hope her husband isn’t involved.”

That comment struck fear in Beth’s heart. “If he is, will Sara be hurt?”

“I don’t know yet, but it’s possible.” He dropped his shoulders, crooked his neck. “I’m not being evasive. Based on what I know now, that’s as accurate as I can be.”

She liked him. Direct. Compassionate. Honest. “Okay, Mr. Boudin. I’m going to take a leap of faith on you. Don’t make me regret it. Ask Sara your questions, but if I touch my nose,” she said for his and Jeff’s benefit, “then it’s
over. You reassure Sara, thank her, and end it. No more questions and no delays. Agreed?”

“Agreed. The questions really are routine and harmless. They shouldn’t distress her.”

“Just keep your promise—and if he is your guy, you still reassure her, thank her, and end it. Then you privately tell me.”

Jeff sent her a suspicious look.

So did Boudin. “I’m uncomfortable with the ethics—”

“It’s not negotiable, and it has nothing to do with ethics.” Beth’s tone went flat. “If what you discover could upset her, then I need time to prepare.”

“Prepare?”

Beth nodded. “Arrange conditions to minimize the impact. Get her calm, get her doctor here. If the news warrants it, get an ambulance on standby.”

“Oh, I see.” His doubt faded. “One touch of the nose, and we’re done.”

A decent judge of character, she decided Thomas Boudin’s word might just be worth something. “All right, then.” She walked back into the study with him following her. Sara did not look pleased.

“Pretty lengthy sojourn in the hallway.” Sara laced her hands atop the desk, tapped her fingertips, signaling she expected an explanation.

“Sorry.” Beth shrugged. “There was a parking jam in the driveway. A couple cars needed shuffling.”

Sara shifted her gaze to Boudin. “You’ll have to forgive Beth, Mr. Boudin. She’s a lousy liar, but she’s my family and she loves me.”

Beth didn’t complain. She’d earned the smack. But if Robert was involved in Boudin’s case, then this definitely was going to be one of those protective times.

“I have a family myself, Mrs. Tayton. Unlike yours, mine is riddled with thugs, thieves, and outlaws, but they’re mine.” His smile put a twinkle in his eyes. “I protect them.”

Beth harrumphed because it was expected. So long as the inhaler was back in Sara’s pocket, either of them could say anything.

Sara leaned back in her chair. “So what do you want to ask me?”

“May I?” He held up a digital recorder similar to Beth’s that had disappeared. “It’s the only way I can be sure to keep everything straight.”

“I have the same problem,” Sara said. “You have my permission to record.”

“Thank you.” He entered the date and time and those present. “How long have you known Robert Tayton?”

“Almost a year. We met at a conference in Atlanta on July third.”

“And you married—”

“August eighth. I know,” Sara said with a little smile. “It was a whirlwind relationship.”

Jeff pulled a pad from his pocket and jotted notes. It made Beth uneasy.

Boudin withheld comment and asked his next question. “Do you get along with Mr. Tayton’s family?”

Sadness crept across Sara’s face. “Unfortunately, we’ve never met. They’ve been estranged for many years.”

“How many years?”

Sara started to answer but her expression went blank and she flushed. “I don’t know.”

Now she’d chew herself up for not knowing and for not realizing she hadn’t known. Great. Viewing a sculpture, Beth dragged a fingertip over its sleek metal surface. A circle with four tails?
Weird
.

“Is it just his parents Mr. Tayton avoids, or is it his sisters and brothers too?”

Surprise flickered across Sara’s face. “Robert has siblings?”

That she didn’t know surprised Beth and Jeff.

“I don’t know, Mrs. Tayton.” Boudin glanced at Beth. “I was asking, not informing.”

“Oh, I see.” She let out a nervous little laugh. “He’s never mentioned siblings, so I don’t believe there are any. I’m not sure his parents are still alive. I don’t think he even knows.” She glanced away. “Talking about them upsets him so I don’t ask questions. Whatever happened is painful for him. He refuses to speak their names.”

Beth pretended to be dispassionate and stone deaf, but what Sara didn’t know shocked her. Her husband could be anyone—and Boudin’s next question proved he thought so too.

“Did Mr. Tayton change his name because of the estrangement?”

“Robert changed his name?” Sara shuddered, putting Beth on alert. “Are you serious?”

“Again, I’m asking, not informing.” Boudin lifted a hand to halt her. “Has he ever gone by any other name?”

“Not to my knowledge.” Her tone stiffened, turned formal.

Beth understood her discomfort. They were rudimentary questions she should be able to answer and couldn’t.

“These questions seem very … strange.” Sara’s breathing grew labored and she visibly struggled to regain control.

Gauging by Jeff’s expression, he agreed. Beth cleared her throat and touched her nose.

Boudin caught the signal. “I believe that’ll do it, Mrs. Tayton. I don’t see any irrefutable similarities in the cases at this time. Thank you for talking to me.” He reached across the desk to shake her hand. “I hope Mr. Tayton soon returns safely.”

“Thank you.” She nodded and swiped at her brow, her hand shaking hard. “Jeff, would you walk me to my room? I’m not steady and I need to rest for a while.”

“Sure.” He extended an arm. “Lean on me, Sara. I’ve got you.”

What was going on? Sara should be calmer but she looked ready to shatter.

Boudin stood beside Beth, waited until Sara and Jeff were out of earshot, then said, “She thinks Robert is involved.”

“She does, and it scares her.” Beth looked up into his face. “So what do you think?”

“What I think isn’t significant.”

Beth frowned. “No games, Mr. Boudin. I took a leap of faith and trusted you.”

“I kept my word.” He clicked off his recorder and tucked it into his jacket’s inside pocket. “I did exactly what I said I would.”

“You did,” she agreed because it was true. “Trust me.”

“If trust were the issue, I would.” He lifted a hand to his chest and dipped his chin. “But it isn’t. This case is ultrasensitive to innocent people. I can’t bring you or anyone else into it unless I’m certain you need to be there.”

He was protecting his client. Unable to blame him for that, Beth crossed her arms and pushed anyway. “You think Robert is someone else. What has he done?”

“I don’t know that he’s done anything. That’s what I’m trying to determine.”

Boudin wasn’t going to tell her a thing. But he had a hidden agenda, and hidden agendas involving Robert usually related to Sara’s money. “Well, since you’re unwilling to be open with me, I’d say we’re done.”

Boudin started to object, looked her in the eye, and smiled.

She knew that smile. Knew that scent, those eyes. Who was he? The answer was right there on the fringe of her mind, fuzzy and unfocused. She tugged at the memory all the way to the front door.

Boudin started through it, then passed her his business card. He dropped his voice so only she could hear. “Does anyone you know have a full-face photo of Robert Tayton?”

“Why?”

“On the news, the photo was of him kissing Mrs. Tayton at some social event. In the newspaper photo, his face was obscured.” Boudin dipped his head. “This is a hunch. If no one has a full-face photo of Robert Tayton, then the odds that he’s the man I’m seeking increase significantly.” Boudin glanced over at the agents, then whispered. “The Robert I’m looking for has good reason to not want to be identified.”

That disclosure sent chills racing up her spine. “Why? Give me something.”

The look in his eyes spoke volumes. “If no one has a picture that clearly shows Tayton’s face, then guard his wife, Beth. This Robert is lethally dangerous.”

Beth’s stomach dropped. She pushed Boudin outside, stepped out, and shut the door behind her. “He
killed
somebody?”

“I’m not saying that,” Boudin said quickly. “In fact, I’m not saying anything more.” He pulled his car keys out of his pocket. “I don’t know if the two men are one and the same, I’m just warning you—in case. That’s all.”

What did she do with that? Especially when it was clear that if they were the same man, Robert was lethal. Whether Boudin meant that literally or figuratively, she wasn’t sure. He seemed bent on dropping bombs, leaving whether or not they could detonate up in the air. She tucked his card in her pocket and nodded. “Thank you, Thomas.”

“If I find evidence linking the two, I’ll contact your office and we’ll discuss how to tell Mrs. Tayton.”

“Use my cell. I have it with me all the time,” Beth said. “Do you have a pen?”

He pulled out one of his cards, wrote her name on its back, then added the number. “Until I know for sure, keep a watchful eye. Warn Jeff too.”

Jeff, not Detective Meyers. She hadn’t told him Jeff’s first name. Had Sara? “I will. Thank you.” Beth nodded again. To her shame, she half hoped Boudin proved right about Robert and half hoped the lethally dangerous Robert remained a stranger.
Major work-in-progress, Beth. God has to be weeping
.

“Oh, I forgot my coffee. You have it. I haven’t touched it.” Thomas Boudin walked down the sidewalk to the street.

Her drink his coffee? That’d be insane. She didn’t know him—wait. Joe. Joe promised to bring her coffee. The eyes, the smile … of course. He was Joe—or was he? She wasn’t sure. Wouldn’t Joe reveal himself to her? He could be in disguise. NINA was after him, and he suspected someone was taking back information to NINA from their group.

No. No, she had to be wrong. She’d told Joe about the terrace messenger, and he hadn’t admitted being him. That had been Boudin. His voice, scent, and those mints. Definitely Boudin.

Beth watched him go, admiring his confident gait, the square of his shoulders.
He was gorgeous, no doubt about it, in a totally nonclassical, unique way. She liked his style—and that he’d kept his word. Admirable, that. She also respected him. It would have been easy to come in and just let the chips fall where they may, but he’d been compassionate toward Sara. Still, he couldn’t be Joe. Joe made her heart flutter, her awareness ratchet up. No disguise could fool her. She would know Joe. She was crazy about him.

Boudin’s walk intrigued her. Captivated … An elusive memory snapped into place.
Joe!

She gasped. Recalled his eyes, Boudin’s eyes. His walk, Boudin’s walk. His … Oh, it was him. Boudin was Joe. What on earth was he doing?

She whipped out her special phone, dialed—and hung up.

He’d come because she was in danger. Just as he’d been somewhere at Jay’s Place. But when they were alone, why hadn’t he told her?

She couldn’t imagine. Until she could, revealing she was aware wasn’t the thing to do. Men like Joe—former Shadow Watchers—rarely did anything without a reason.

With a regretful sigh, she went back inside and closed the front door. Jeff magically appeared in her path. “Nothing noteworthy,” she said before he could even ask.